Sports apparel with integrated racing bib coupling

ABSTRACT

Sports apparel, such as a skirt or shorts, integrates racing bib coupling therein via snap closures within a protective flap that is simple, effective, elegant and not cumbersome to enhance use and acceptance by participants. The skirt may fit over existing shorts, or such shorts may be incorporated into the skirt. The protective flap forms a downward facing slot or opening for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib wherein the eyelets or openings of the racing bib align with or are aligned with two of the snap connections to couple the racing bib to the skirt. The flap serves to protect the bib and prevent the bib from being a distraction to the athlete. The flap may have end seams to form a closed downward pocket for the bib and the seams will keep the flap in the desired overlapping protective position.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/662,897 filed Apr. 26, 2018, entitled “Sports Apparel with Integrated Racing Bib Coupling” which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to sports apparel and, in particular, to sports apparel such as skirts and shorts with integrated racing bib coupling.

2. Background Information

Runner's road racing continues to be extremely popular within the United States with Running USA (www.runningUSA.org) reporting over 30,000 events in 2017 with over 17,000,000 finishers. Triathlons, which incorporate road racing as one component, are also popular in the United States with over 4,000,000 participants reported in 2016 (see https://www.statista.com/statistics/191339/participants-in-triathlons-in-the-us-since-2006/) The competitors in both road racing in general and the road racing component of triathlons often wear a racing bib displaying the competitor's number, and is generally required to be attached during the competition period. In practice, the most common way this is done is by temporarily attaching the racing bib to the garment with the use of two to four safety pins.

Manufacturers of racing bibs most often punch holes near the corners of the bibs in order to make it easier attachment when using safety pins. There are numerous problems associated with the use of safety pins. First, safety pins cause damage to many garments by causing holes which can expand beyond the original size and prematurely ruin the garment, additionally the pins can cause damage and noticeable discoloration by rust stains as rust often forms by the end of a competitive event, such as a marathon or triathlon, when safety pins are used. Second, it can be difficult to position the racing bib on oneself, resulting in occasional pinpricks to the competitor and in a crooked, loosely fitting, or flopping bib during the competition which may impair the bib's visibility, cause discomfort or distraction to a competitor, or even aerodynamically hinder a competitor. Third, some kinds of competitions require information panels to be placed on a garment within specific guidelines, some of which may cause disqualification if not properly executed. Fourth, improper disposal of safety pins and fallen safety pins pose a serious hazard to spectators and competitors, especially at track competitions. Fifth, often, through miscalculation, safety pins are simply not available at the competition, and a competitor may not have time to find any elsewhere.

There have been proposals to address this problem such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,515 which is incorporated herein by reference and discloses a garment for the purpose of attaching and displaying information panels, such as a competitor's racing bib. One or more flexible flap members are permanently attached to the garment. Each distal end of the flexible flaps has a mechanism of fastening, such as a snap fastener. Complementary mechanisms of fastening are permanently attached either to the garment, or to the proximal portion of the flexible flap. When the information panel is held in position, the complementary fasteners are coupled to secure the information panel. The garment may be worn without the information panels, as some information panels may be of a very temporary basis. The flexible flaps proposed in the '515 design can be particularly distracting to the user, particularly when training without a bib attached, and thus limit the usefulness of the garment for the user.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,173,441, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses apparel with a protective pocket provided for a primarily two-dimensional object, such as a race bib. The protective pocket includes cooperating first and second lightweight fabrics, and an opening for receiving the object. The first fabric may be an item of a race participant's apparel or a backing that itself is attached to such an apparel item. The second fabric may be a mesh member having spaced apertures through which the object is visible and exposed to elements. The see through mesh covered pocket of the '441 patent is not the first “see through pocket” solution, and none of the “pocket” solutions have been widely adopted by participants. It is believed that the pocket is felt to be too cumbersome by the participants and this has limited this solution in practice. A solution to a problem that is not adopted in the industry is not an effective solution to the associated problem, despite any perceived technical merits.

Another solution that actually has seen wide acceptance in the triathlon field is the race belt that is typically an adjustable elastic strap that clips together around the user and includes toggles or straps to fasten to the racing bib. The race belt avoids the problems of safety pins and is deemed to yield a faster transition, which is highly important in triathlons, but this solution still can be deemed cumbersome by participants.

Accordingly, there is a need for a sports apparel such as skirts and shorts with integrated racing bib coupling that is simple, effective, elegant and not cumbersome so as to be widely accepted by participants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to sports apparel such as skirts and shorts with integrated racing bib coupling that is simple, effective, elegant and not cumbersome to enhance use and acceptance by participants.

This invention may be described as directed to sports apparel such as a skirt with integrated racing bib coupling via snap closures within protective flap wherein the protective flap forms a downward facing slot or opening for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib wherein the eyelets or openings of the racing bib align with or are aligned with two of the snap connections to couple the racing bib to the skirt. The flap serves to protect the bib and prevent the bib from being a distraction to the athlete. The flap may have end seams to form a closed downward pocket for the bib and the seams will keep the flap in the desired overlapping protective position.

One aspect of the invention may be described as sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib coupling comprising a protective flap forming a downward facing slot for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib with eyelets; and a plurality of snap closures within protective flap, wherein the snap closures are spaced to align with the eyelets of the racing bib and to snap together through the opening from opposed sides of the racing bib to couple the racing bib to the skirt.

The sports apparel according to one aspect of the invention may provide wherein only two snap closures are provided and in another embodiment more than two snap closures are provided.

The sports apparel according to one aspect of the invention may provide wherein the flap is at an upper edge of sports apparel and wherein flap includes elastic material and includes vertical end seams.

The sports apparel according to one aspect of the invention may provide wherein each snap closures includes a male portion of the snap closure on an inner side of the sports apparel and a female portion on an outer side of the sports apparel.

The sports apparel according to one aspect of the invention wherein the sports apparel is in the form of a skirt. Further the skirt may include integral shorts formed under a skirt portion.

One aspect of the invention may be described as sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib comprising a race bib having eyelets along at least a top surface thereof; a protective flap forming a downward facing slot for receipt of the top the race bib with eyelets; and plurality of snap closures within protective flap, wherein the snap closures are spaced to align with the eyelets of the racing bib and to snap together through the opening from opposed sides of the racing bib to couple the racing bib to the skirt

These and other aspects of the present invention will be clarified in the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention described below in connection with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an athlete wearing sports apparel, namely a skirt with integrated racing bib coupling and associated racing bib according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the athlete wearing the skirt of FIG. 1 with a racing bib coupled thereto;

FIG. 2B is a front perspective view of the athlete wearing the skirt of FIG. 1 with the racing bib not coupled thereto;

FIG. 2C is a front perspective view of the athlete wearing a modified version of the skirt of FIG. 1 with the racing bib not coupled thereto;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the athlete wearing the skirt of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the athlete wearing the skirt of FIG. 1 and exposing the racing bib coupling elements of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational plan view of a representative racing bib used with the athletic apparel of the present claimed invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This invention is directed to sports apparel such as skirts 10 and shorts with integrated racing bib coupling via snap closures 12 within protective flap 14 that is simple, effective, elegant and not cumbersome to enhance use and acceptance by participants 20. The skirt 12 may fit over existing shorts 16, or such shorts 16 may be incorporated into the skirt 10.

The invention is best illustrated in the figures in which FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an athlete 20 wearing sports apparel, namely a skirt 10 with integrated racing bib coupling via snap closures 12 and flap 14, with an associated racing bib 30 according to one aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the athlete 20 wearing the skirt 10 of FIG. 1 with the racing bib 30 coupled thereto and FIG. 2B is a front perspective view of the athlete 20 wearing the skirt 10 of FIG. 1 with the racing bib 30 not coupled thereto. The skirt 10 will be generally 8″-16″, generally 10″-12″ in length and the waistband around the location of the flap 14 will typically include elastic to secure the skirt to the athlete 20. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the athlete 20 wearing the skirt 10 of FIG. 1.

The skirt 10 may be worn over shorts 16, e.g. compression shorts, or the underlying shorts 16 may be integrated into the skirt 10 to form a single unit of apparel.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the athlete wearing the skirt of FIG. 1 and exposing the racing bib coupling elements of the present invention. The protective flap 14 forms a downward facing slot or opening for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib 30 wherein the eyelets or openings 32 of the racing bib 30 align with (or are aligned with) two of the snap connections 12 to couple the racing bib to the skirt 10. In other words the snap closures 12 within protective flap 14 are spaced to align with the eyelets 32 of the racing bib 30 and to snap together through the eyelets 32 from opposed sides of the bib 30 to couple the racing bib 30 to the skirt 10.

Although either arrangement is acceptable, having the male portion of the snap closure 12 on the inner side of the skirt 12 can make it easier to attach the bib 30, by allowing for “hanging” the bib 30 on the inner snaps while the outer female portions are brought into engagement with the male components and snapped thereto to couple the bib 30. Additionally, more than two snap connections 12 may be provided to yield a wider range of bib 30 operation as shown in one example in FIG. 2C.

The flap 14 extends across the entire top edge of the bib 30 and serves to protect the bib 30 and prevent the bib 30 from being a distraction to the athlete 20 or from damage during the event by minimizing flapping or excessive movement of the bib relative to the coupling snaps 12. The flap 14 is at an upper edge of the skirt 10 and may have vertical end seams as generally shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A to form a closed downward pocket for the bib 30 and will keep the flap 14 in the desired overlapping protective position as shown.

FIG. 5 is an elevational plan view of a representative racing bib 30 used with the athletic apparel 10 of the present claimed invention and best shows the eyelets 32 in the corners thereof. As shown in FIGS. 2A and B the snap connections 12 remain hidden by the protective flap 14 so as not to form any distraction for the athlete 20 or detract from the appearance of the apparel 10. The bibs 30 are generally of conventional arrangement but multiple snap connections may be added to accommodate different uniform race bib 30 sizes

Regarding race bibs 30, 8.3″×5.8″ and 7.5″×5.75″ are the most common sizes for road racing and triathlons, but other sizes are possible. The modified version in FIG. 2C can accommodate a range of standard bib 30 sizes whereby the skirt 10 includes added snaps 12 to better accommodate the most common bib sizes. Although one pair of snaps 12 can accommodate a reasonable range of bibs 30, including both the 7.5″ and the 8.3″ widths for bibs 30 without undue issues with the display of the bib 30. The bib 30 is often formed of TYVEK® material often with the event name and logo printed on the bib 30. The skirt 10 of the present invention protects the bib 30 during the athletic event which is useful for the event itself, but athletes 20 often use the bib 30 as a memento of finished races and the skirt 10 of the invention helps maintain the bib 30 is good condition for post-race display by the competitor 20.

It is apparent that many variations to the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example the skirt 10 may include pockets for energy gels that are popular for athletes 20 in endurance races. The apparel need not be formed as a skirt 10 but easily may be implemented as running shorts with the flap 14 and the coupling snaps 12. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib coupling comprising: A protective flap forming a downward facing slot for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib with eyelets; A plurality of snap closures within protective flap, wherein the snap closures are spaced to align with the eyelets of the racing bib and to snap together through the opening from opposed sides of the racing bib to couple the racing bib to the skirt.
 2. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein only two snap closures are provided.
 3. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein more than two snap closures are provided.
 4. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein the flap is at an upper edge of sports apparel.
 5. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein flap includes elastic material.
 6. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein each snap closures includes a male portion of the snap closure on an inner side of the sports apparel and a female portion on an outer side of the sports apparel.
 7. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein the flap includes end seams.
 8. The sports apparel according to claim 1 wherein the sports apparel is in the form of a skirt.
 9. The sports apparel according to claim 8 wherein the skirt includes integral shorts formed under a skirt portion.
 10. A sports skirt with integrated racing bib coupling comprising A protective flap forming a downward facing slot for receipt of the top of a conventional race bib with eyelets; A plurality of snap closures within protective flap, wherein the snap closures are spaced to align with the eyelets of the racing bib and to snap together through the opening from opposed sides of the racing bib to couple the racing bib to the skirt.
 11. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein only two snap closures are provided.
 12. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein more than two snap closures are provided.
 13. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein the flap is at an upper edge of sports skirt.
 14. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein flap includes elastic material.
 15. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein each snap closures includes a male portion of the snap closure on an inner side of the sports skirt and a female portion on an outer side of the sports skirt.
 16. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein the flap includes end seams.
 17. The sports skirt according to claim 10 wherein the sports skirt includes integral shorts formed under a skirt portion.
 18. Sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib comprising A race bib having eyelets along at least a top surface thereof A protective flap forming a downward facing slot for receipt of the top the race bib with eyelets; A plurality of snap closures within protective flap, wherein the snap closures are spaced to align with the eyelets of the racing bib and to snap together through the opening from opposed sides of the racing bib to couple the racing bib to the skirt.
 19. The Sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib according to claim 18 wherein the flap is at an upper edge of sports skirt and includes elastic material and end seams.
 20. The Sports apparel in the form of a skirt or shorts with integrated racing bib according to claim 18 wherein the sports apparel in in the form of a sports skirt and each snap closures includes a male portion of the snap closure on an inner side of the sports skirt and a female portion on an outer side of the sports skirt. 